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Come Fan with UsThursday, June 25, 2026

Penguins coach responds to offsetting penalties with a perfect referee wave-off

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning got a little testy early in Game 7 on Thursday, resulting in a reaction GIF gift to hockey fans everywhere.

About six minutes into the second period, Penguins defenseman Ian Cole and Lightning forward Cedric Paquette got into a heated scrum behind the Pittsburgh net.

Long story short: Ian Cole elbowed Paquette, Paquette responded with punches and all hell broke loose. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan apparently didn’t see Cole’s elbow, because this was his reaction:

mike

So all of it was worth it, because that is the perfect reaction GIF. Thank you, Hockey Twitter gods.

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